Press Releases
BILOXI MAN SENTENCED FOR KATRINA FRAUD
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GULFPORT, Miss. – Mario Leleaux, a Biloxi resident, was sentenced in federal court today to 12 months probation with 6 months of home confinement and 80 hours of community service for filing false claims with FEMA for Hurricane Katrina disaster assistance, stealing government funds from the Mississippi Development Authority Homeowner Grant program, and emergency disaster food stamp fraud. Leleaux was ordered to pay restitution of $16,711.84, to FEMA, $35,413.32, to the Homeowner Grant Program, and $792.00 to the Department of Agriculture. A civil order of forfeiture was also entered against Leleaux in the amount of $36,205.32.
Leleaux claimed he was residing in an Ocean Springs home he owned but rented out while living with his parents in Biloxi. The Mississippi State Auditor Fraud Prevention and Protection Unit investigates allegations of fraud in the Homeowner Grant Program as part of the local task force.
In September, 2005, then Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the national Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, designed to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crimes such as charity fraud, identity theft, procurement fraud and insurance fraud. The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force - chaired by Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Alice S. Fisher, includes members from Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspector’s Office and the Executive Office of United States Attorneys, among others.
Pursuant to the Justice Department initiative, a local Katrina Fraud Task Force, consisting of over 20 Federal and State law enforcement agencies, was formed in the Southern District of
Mississippi to pursue and prosecute individuals who engage in fraud associated with the hurricanes.
If anyone has information concerning possible fraud being committed during the post-Katrina recovery effort, please call either the DHS-OIG Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or the FBI Fraud Hotline at 1-800-225-5324.
